The present invention is directed to a system for supporting an additional communication cable on a support pole, such as a utility pole, which serves to support a pre-existing communication cable.
With the advent of cable TV systems, a significant problem has arisen with regard to the routing of CATV cables. In many communities, a network of utility poles which support both power cables and telephone cables is already in place. In such situations, it is generally desirable to mount CATV cables on pre-existing utility poles. However, the addition of a second communication cable such as a CATV cable may require significant rerouting and repositioning of presently existing communication cables.
For example, in many communities it is standard practice to require a neutral zone of, for example, 40 inches between the power zone on the utility pole which is dedicated to power cables, and the communication zone on the utility pole which is dedicated to communication cables. In addition, many communities have minimum clearance requirements, below which cables cannot be mounted. Thus, in mounting an additional CATV cable, it is often important not to encroach on the neutral zone while preserving adequate ground clearance. Furthermore, in many cases it is desirable that all this be accomplished without interfering with vertical access to the pre-existing communication cable from below. In addition, it is important to minimize the cost of installing an additional communication cable such as a CATV cable by minimizing installation time and hardware requirements.
In the past, one approach to the mounting of a CATV cable to a utility pole was simply to mount the CATV cable on the pole using standard communication cable mounting hardware. When this is done, it may be necessary to reroute the pre-existing telephone cable to maintain the required neutral zone between the communication cables and the power cables. Such rerouting of the telephone cable may in an extreme case require replacement of an entire utility pole, as for example in a situation where clearance requirements do not allow the telephone cable to be lowered on the existing utility pole.
A second prior art approach has been to use an extension arm which is mounted to the utility pole above the telephone cables and extends outwardly and downwardly from the pole in a diagonal direction. The CATV cable is then secured to the lower outer end of this extension arm.
A significant drawback of such prior art extension arms is that the upper ends of these arms are fastened separately onto the utility pole and thus may encroach into the neutral zone of the utility pole. In situations where it is undesirable to have any substantial portion of the communication cable mounting system intruding into the neutral zone, the use of such extension arms may well require that pre-existing telephone cables be lowered on the utility pole to make room for the extension arm mounting. Another drawback with this prior art extension arm is that it is mounted to the utility pole separately from any pre-existing communication cables, and therefore steps must be taken in many cases to electrically interconnect the strands used to support the CATV cable and the pre-existing telephone cable. Such electrical interconnection is often required at rather close spacings, thereby increasing installation costs of the CATV cable.